Claimed by the Sheikh

by Rachael Thomas

  ‘But it could get worse, right?’ She looked at him, her face imploring him to tell the truth. Truth! Would she know what that was?

  ‘It already has.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Panic entered her voice once again, and guilt tugged at him.

  ‘The rebels are out there too. Attack is imminent.’

  Her eyes widened in shock, but she didn’t say anything.

  Quickly, he took her arm and propelled her towards her quarters. ‘We will go back to where I told you to stay and sit it out. That is the safest and best option.’ His hand locked around hers, almost dragging her back into her quarters as the fabric walls billowed and the wind wailed mournfully around them.

  He pulled her down onto the bed, tossing aside some of the cushions in exasperation. ‘We just wait and hope. The threatening storm may be our saviour.’

  ‘That’s it?’ she snapped and turned to face him, suddenly so very close that his chest tightened and for a moment he couldn’t say anything. ‘That’s your master plan?’

  Amber clung to his arm and he closed his eyes against the raging emotions inside him. She was seeking his protection; even if she didn’t utter a word, her actions told him that. His mind raced back in time, to the moment he’d failed to protect his mother. He could hear her scream and feel the fiery pain in his chest as he was pushed against the sharp corner of a marble statue pedestal.

  ‘Kazim, someone’s trying to get in.’ Amber’s panicked words hurtled him back to the present and he leapt to his feet, preparing to defend.

  Relief surged through him as the son of the nomad elder rushed in, his words as hurried as his entrance.

  ‘What is it?’ Amber asked as the nomad quickly left. ‘Do you need to go?’

  He shook his head, trying to regain his usual control, thankful that the wind had played its part to their advantage. ‘They have gone. It seems the wind is mistress of the desert tonight.’

  She sighed in relief. ‘Are you sure they won’t come back?’

  ‘Not tonight,’ he said as he sat next to her, wanting to hold her. ‘All we need to worry about now is the wind and staying safe.’

  ‘Are you trying to seduce me?’ she teased and his pulse rate rocketed into overdrive.

  ‘I would not be deceitful enough to use the cover of an impending storm—neither would I need to.’ He looked deep into her eyes, trying to fathom the emotions that were buried within them. The truth was: he did want to seduce her. With every cell in his body he wanted her; despite everything, he still craved the release being with her could give him.

  The intensity of that lust was something he’d never experienced before. Usually the novelty of a woman wore off once he’d bedded her, but with Amber it was different. Was that because he’d waited so long to claim her, to then discover that she too had waited and that she was truly his?

  ‘I wasn’t trying to deceive you, Kazim,’ she said softly as her gaze lowered, those long lashes covering her eyes, hiding her soul from his scrutiny. But her apology only raised more questions.

  ‘On our wedding day you tried to be something which I now know you were not. Now I discover you knew of your father’s allegiance with the rebels. How can I ever trust you?’

  If he could walk away from her at this minute he would. But he couldn’t. They were trapped together in this tent and, judging by the sound of the wind outside, they would be for some time yet. Could he turn it to his advantage? Find out the truth about the woman he’d married, once and for all?

  * * *

  Amber sighed. Did he not trust anything she’d said or done? ‘From day one of our marriage it was doomed. You didn’t want to believe me; you only wanted to believe what you saw—or what you thought you saw.’

  ‘What I saw then and still see now is a woman who was very proficient at weaving a web of lies. The same woman who is unable to deny the facts I’ve just presented her with. You do not know truth.’ His words were slow but firm and she glanced up at his profile, his handsome face drawn into a mask of concentration.

  Around them the wind buffeted the tent, seemingly determined to gain entry. Nervously she watched the fabric shifting ominously in the low light from the lanterns. It should be romantic, a time for two lovers to come together and lose themselves from the outside world.

  But they were not lovers. What they shared was an undeniable spark of attraction—one that demanded satisfaction and one she was sure would fade in time until it was nothing more than glowing coals amidst a dying fire.

  ‘I was doing my duty, Kazim. Surely you, of all people, can relate to that?’ They had been forced together by the might of the desert and he had to listen to her, had to see why she’d acted as she had. She pressed on before he added anything and distracted her from her mission. ‘It was made very clear to me that, to inherit your father’s kingdom, it was of the utmost importance that our marriage went ahead.’

  ‘That, at least, is true.’ He picked up a gold cushion, absently examining the braiding. Anything other than look at her it seemed. ‘I was told much the same. As long as we consummated the marriage it did not matter if we lived together afterwards or not—for a while, at least. That is the only reason I agreed to it.’

  ‘But you weren’t even able to consummate the marriage.’ Anger burst to life once more inside her, rushing through her veins so insistently she wanted to get up off the bed and run as far away as possible. She fought the urge with everything she had. ‘Why was that, Kazim? Did you hate me that much?’

  ‘No!’ He rounded on her, furiously throwing the cushion aside. ‘I hated that we were forced to marry. I had a life. I’d built up a successful business. I never wanted to inherit.’

  He took a deep breath and looked at her and she waited, biting down on her lip anxiously.

  ‘I didn’t want responsibility either for the people of Barazbin or for you. I didn’t want to desire you or make you truly my wife because you represented all that I resented.’

  His harsh words hit hard and she blinked in shock. He really did dislike her and certainly hated the fact that they had been forced to marry. As soon as she could she would leave this country, this man, and go back home to Paris.

  ‘I had no knowledge of what my father was doing,’ she pushed on, needing to clear her name, but not wanting to cause any problems for her mother. It wasn’t going to be achievable, judging from the look on Kazim’s face.

  He got up and marched away from her, pacing across the carpet so fast it was as if he would at any moment walk out beyond the tent and into the desert, which she was quickly realising was his mistress.

  He turned to her, anger evident in the rigidity of his stance. ‘You should have told me.’

  Her eyes widened in shock. This was the last thing she’d expected to hear from him and she could barely stammer out the words. ‘I couldn’t...my mother...’ she stammered, feeling as if she was losing her footing.

  ‘Don’t try and tell me you didn’t know anything about it, that your mother was the one who told you.’

  ‘I didn’t.’ Her words were a strangled whisper, his nearness and the shock of his accusation clamping tightly on her throat. He didn’t believe anything she said and never had.

  The blackness of his eyes darkened and the intensity of his gaze became too much and she moved away from him, walking across the carpet as he had just done. Beneath her feet the sand moved, reminding her just how volatile the peace they’d recently shared actually was.

  ‘But you still didn’t tell me.’ It wasn’t a question, but a statement. One filled with regret. ‘You had plenty of opportunity to tell me on the drive here.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realise the importance or significance of what I’d learnt and then you talked of your father. The time didn’t feel right.’ She wished now she’d insisted she had something important to
say, but he’d opened up to her, let her into his world, just for a moment.

  ‘That was a discussion you forced on me.’ He gritted his teeth and she knew she was pushing him too far, but suddenly she realised she had to.

  Here in this tent, with a sandstorm threatening, she had to force him to face up to his emotions. Maybe then there would be a future together, but if there wasn’t she had at least tried. Once and for all she had to admit what was between them. It was up to her, it seemed, to decide just what it was. Suddenly nothing was more important. She had to know what it meant to her, as well as Kazim.

  ‘You lock everyone out, Kazim. Why?’

  His breathing deepened but he remained where he was, glaring at her.

  ‘Don’t try to analyse my emotions, Amber. That is a game you will not win.’

  ‘This is not a game. This is real.’ She moved towards him so that she stood close enough to feel the heat from his body, hear the deep breaths he took.

  ‘Be very careful, Amber.’ He growled out the words. ‘You might find you’re taking on more than you can handle.’

  ‘I can handle this,’ she snapped, glad that the simmering tension was finally about to boil over. ‘I’m telling you I knew nothing of the money you have been sending to my father. If I did I would never have worked in that club or lived in that flat and it would have been me helping Annie and Claude—me, not you.’

  The tirade rushed from her like an avalanche, gathering speed and power as it went until her heart raced and her head throbbed.

  His eyes narrowed in suspicion but before he could say anything she pushed on.

  ‘I admit I came with you to Barazbin because you were going to help Claude, and that I intended to go back to Paris as soon as I could. But I also came because I needed to explore what is between us and because, deep down, I wanted to.’

  ‘You wanted to?’ He looked at her in complete disbelief. ‘That is as far from the truth as you can possibly get. As soon as I found you in that club you were talking of a divorce.’

  ‘Because I thought that was what you wanted.’ The wind seemed to rush at the tent but she didn’t take her eyes from his. ‘You rejected me, Kazim, and I will never forget how that felt. I tried to be what you wanted, but it wasn’t enough. The disgust in your eyes nearly killed me.’

  It also nearly killed my love for you.

  ‘I didn’t expect my wife to come with a baggage of scandal.’ The words snapped from him but she didn’t care. The lines of communication had at last been opened. If nothing else, she would find out why he’d turned her away so brutally.

  ‘But I thought...’ What had she thought? That he’d been so enraged to find out she was an inexperienced virgin, he’d turned her away?

  ‘What did you think?’ he asked.

  ‘That a man like you would want a more interesting wife.’

  ‘No.’ He shook his head and took hold of her arms, pulling her closer and forcing her to look up at him. ‘I wanted my wife to be mine and mine alone. I know now that you are. Despite the many months we’ve been apart, you have always been mine.’

  This was too much. Her heart began to swoop and soar with hope. Was he opening his heart to her, allowing her in?

  ‘Yes, I have,’ she said, scarcely above a whisper. ‘I always have, Kazim. I love you.’

  CHAPTER TEN

  KAZIM REELED BACK in shock, abruptly letting her go. Had he heard her right? Amber loved him? He looked at her face, so beautiful in the soft light from the lanterns, and that new and all too familiar tightness gripped his chest. As he continued to stand, silent from the shock of those words, anxiety leapt to her eyes. He wished he could take it away but he couldn’t, not when he was still unable to believe she meant those words. She hadn’t told him one truth yet.

  He stepped back a pace, needing distance from her, from her words. What did she have to gain by lying? Had she said the one thing he never wanted to hear to deliberately anger him? Was this her way of extricating herself from the marriage? Pushing him to the edge?

  ‘That’s not possible.’ He stepped back further, unable to deal with her latest little lie or the emotions it unleashed within him. He had never wanted to hear those words said to him again. They meant nothing. His past had taught him they were words used to inflict pain—they were weapons. They were also words he never intended to say to anyone. Never. Love, if it did exist, was not for him.

  ‘Why not?’ Her throaty whisper sounded sexy. Too sexy. A rush of lust throbbed inside him, totally contradicting the shock that still surrounded him.

  She walked towards him, her soft brown eyes intently watching his face. He wanted to turn and march away from her. But where was there to go? The wind still wailed beyond the tent, even if the rebels had gone. He was trapped.

  His gaze lingered on her slender figure and the way the deep red silk wrapped around her body. She’d changed, casting off the jeans and blouse she’d opted to travel in, but he dismissed the idea that it was for him. The red silk shimmered as she took a step towards him and seemed to give her a regal power he’d never noticed before. She stopped, her eyes intently watching his face, waiting for his answer.

  What should he say? I don’t want love—from you or anyone. No, that was getting too close to the truth. Just the thought of saying that aloud made him feel vulnerable.

  ‘Why not?’ He repeated her question, knowing he sounded defensive. ‘Do you really need to ask?’

  ‘Actually, yes, I do,’ she replied, her voice sharper now, which at least had the effect of dampening his ardour.

  ‘You have made it clear that you are here under duress and the only reason is so that your friend’s child can have his medical treatment.’ He turned things back to her in an attempt to halt her uncomfortable questions. He stood his ground as she moved to stand in front of him, determination coming off her in waves. Was she hell-bent on making him face the past—all of it, in one day?

  ‘So you feel nothing for me?’ Boldly, she looked up at him and he had the strange sensation that it wasn’t him turning the tables, that he was losing his foothold. Somehow he was now the mouse being toyed with by the cat. He didn’t like it. Not one bit.

  He thought of the tightness that crushed his chest when his mind wandered to her, but that must be panic; it couldn’t be love. Love only brought pain. He knew that after the way it had scarred his heart all through his childhood. It couldn’t be anything else. After all, as a young man, he had vowed never to love and he had no intention of breaking that vow. He’d seen what one-sided love had done to his mother.

  ‘Love is a fool’s indulgence.’ He put every bit of anger he had into those words, delivering them with a sharp crack, but Amber stood firm before him, her chin lifted and her shoulders pulled back. Regal defiance emanated from every part of her.

  She nodded in agreement. ‘You’re right.’ She looked fiercely into his eyes and he had the sensation she was trying to read his mind, to discover his innermost thoughts. ‘A fool’s indulgence.’

  ‘Damn it, Amber, don’t look at me like that.’ He was unable to deal with the power shift that had happened as soon as she’d said those words aloud, giving them life and meaning. He didn’t want that. Not now, not ever.

  ‘What are you afraid of, Kazim?’ She took another step closer and he inhaled deeply, taking in her soft scent, which reminded him of the palace gardens—the oasis of tranquillity he had come to enjoy during brief interludes from his frantic daily life.

  What was he afraid of? That was a question he’d never wanted to answer—until now. The woman he’d married out of duty, the woman who had professed to hate him, was now the woman who was making him face the past head-on.

  He didn’t want to face it. He couldn’t face it.

  ‘It’s a useless emotion, Amber. Love serves no purpose. You and I have married
out of duty, and it can’t be anything more than that.’ Control returned and he looked down into her upturned face, keeping his own devoid of emotion. She must never know the turmoil she’d unleashed with those three words. If she did, it would give her every last bit of power, leaving him completely exposed, and that was not acceptable. He never wanted to experience that harsh vulnerability or to have his inner peace hanging by a thread, one that could be cruelly cut at any time.

  ‘Ah, yes, a duty you took so seriously you couldn’t even make me your wife on our wedding night. Was it really the scandalous rumours that disgusted you, or was it the fact that you couldn’t do your duty because I wasn’t your usual choice of woman and you didn’t desire me?’

  Her words were granite-hard, laced with a hint of sarcasm like a lethal cocktail. It was as if suddenly she had turned to steel or been sculpted from ice. He didn’t really care. At least she wasn’t throwing herself at him, professing love as false as the tears that had threatened to wet her cheeks. He couldn’t take that sort of emotional display. It was too raw.

  ‘It was nothing more than the fact that I had been led to believe you were an innocent bride. Exactly what a prince would want.’ He spoke firmly, now more in control of the strange sensations that had assailed him when she’d made that ridiculous confession. ‘I certainly hadn’t been expecting a dancer, especially one so provocative and alluring. It was like I’d stepped back in time and I was a sheikh selecting from his harem. That is something I never wanted to experience.’

  It was that image, coupled with the rumours, that had made him turn from her—the image of a bullying sheikh, demanding and unrelenting. A sheikh like his father had been. It was too close to his past.

  Her eyes lowered and those lovely long lashes spread over her cheeks and he balled his hands into fists in an effort to stop himself reaching out and touching her, lifting her chin so that he could see her face. If he let his mind continue to wander that path of want and need, he would end up taking her in his arms, kissing her until she begged him to make her his again.